anyone use chicken litter pellets?

[mjw357]

saw an ad on CL, says the composition is 5-3-2. Says 'very high source of nitrogen'. I read that composition as 5% nitrogen, 3% phosphorous and 2% potassium. So I'd need to apply a ton/acre to get 100#/acre N. Anyone know the cost?

 

[super55]

you are correct in that you will need a ton of litter in order to get 100# of N to the soil. At 100# of litter pellets you will end up with 5#, 3# and 2# of your NPK. As for cost it is really going to be dependent on location. If you are around chicken farms the cost might be ok per ton. If you are going to buy it bagged I am going to guess it will be substantially more expensive.

For our gardens we were using chicken litter and it was costing us about 10 dollars for 50# a bag. Bulk should be substantially cheaper especially if they are trying to get rid of it.

 

[roadhunter]

I've seen cattle manure pelletized and sold in garden centers as well as used for organic farming. I'm sure it would work well.

 

[farmer2009]

Don't use it pelitized but do use it straight. Real nice rich source of nutrients. I sell what I can't use by the ton to local farmers. By the time they have it loaded hauled and spread they are in to the $30-35/ton range. The last sample I had taken came back as a 59-30-70 per ton. But it also has a lot of variability.
Hay fields get 3 tons for 2 years then a skipped year. Pastures are on a maintenance application of 19-19-19 as they've had too much litter.

 

[mjw357]

They only sell by the 25 ton truckload, quoted price delivered to my place is $205/ton. They must be hauling it in from out of state for that price. I'll stick to the coop 3 miles down the road for my fertilizer.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I had one heck of a surprise on Monday, when this showed up.



45 Ton of Chicken Manure for the guy that farms our place. It came from two hours away and cost $2500.00 CDN. Never knew such rigs existed!

But an even bigger surprise awaited me in the cab!

18!

 

[roadhunter]

I love those trailers. I have 115 yards loads of wood chips delivered and love watching them unload.

More and more women truckers these days it seems. More power to them! I have an appreciation for women who work as opposed to high maintenance women who expect to be pampered all the time.

 

[mjw357]

45 Ton of Chicken Manure for the guy that farms our place. It came from two hours away and cost $2500.00 CDN.

Wow, that's about $42 US / ton versus my $205 US / ton quote. I'd consider using it for that price if I could get it.

 

[Industrial Toys]

He said Tons but probably meant tonnes 2200lbs, and what is the dollar difference these days?

I managed to score a bucketfull (3/4 yrd) for the garden, but the farmer warns that it is VERY potent.

So how much do I use? When? How should I store, what I don't use?

Maybe, I should ask, how do I get near it?

Thanks

 

[mjw357]

He said Tons but probably meant tonnes 2200lbs, and what is the dollar difference these days?

I managed to score a bucketfull (3/4 yrd) for the garden, but the farmer warns that it is VERY potent.

So how much do I use? When? How should I store, what I don't use?

Maybe, I should ask, how do I get near it?

Thanks

$1 us = $1.31 cdn

Read my original post as far as usage. I'd hardly consider that 'potent'. It's gotta be a lot cheaper per ton for me to choose that over commercial dry fertilizers.

If you are going to store it outdoors, maybe just a big tarp with tires to weigh it down.

 

[Industrial Toys]

This one of our two farmers is certified organic, so I guess he has to pay a premium for fertilizer. There just isn't much organically certified manure around. Those that have it, keep it for their own operations.

 

[farmer2009]

He said Tons but probably meant tonnes 2200lbs, and what is the dollar difference these days?

I managed to score a bucketfull (3/4 yrd) for the garden, but the farmer warns that it is VERY potent.

So how much do I use? When? How should I store, what I don't use?

Maybe, I should ask, how do I get near it?

Thanks

Is it broiler or layer litter? Crusting sir clean out? Yes it matters.

Very carefully. I'd spread it evenly where you want your corn, beans, squash, ect. Just skip the area for your tomatoes and be light under the squash. Spreading it this fall will give it a chance to mellow out before next year.

It should weigh in the 30-40lb/cuft range. So you have 600-800 lbs. and that would cover 200-400sqft. How big is your garden? You may want to thin it down even more. Keep it dry. Under a tarp.

Chicken litter doesn't stink, it smells like money. Laughing.

 

[thendrix]

Is it broiler or layer litter? Crusting sir clean out? Yes it matters.

Very carefully. I'd spread it evenly where you want your corn, beans, squash, ect. Just skip the area for your tomatoes and be light under the squash. Spreading it this fall will give it a chance to mellow out before next year.

It should weigh in the 30-40lb/cuft range. So you have 600-800 lbs. and that would cover 200-400sqft. How big is your garden? You may want to thin it down even more. Keep it dry. Under a tarp.

Chicken litter doesn't stink, it smells like money. Laughing.

This is the way most people use it. My father in law does a little different though. He plows and lays off the rows. Then he takes a shovel and sprinkles it in the row. A litter/ feed shovel will do about 15 ft. He then comes back with a hoe and drags just enough dirt on top to cover then plants on top of that. He says his way feeds the seed and saves litter. The other way feeds seeds but it also feeds the grass and weeds between the rows.

According to those process we've been selling on the cheap. We spread a truck load of cake litter on pastures within 5 to 6 miles for $55 to $60 a load. A load is between 6 and 7 tons